NEW YORK – The Columbia softball program will add seven newcomers to the squad this spring, as announced by head coach Kayla Noonan today.

The class of 2017 is comprised of players from four states, including four from California and one each from New Hampshire, New Jersey and New York.

Dakota Canta – C/IF – Red Bank, N.J. (Red Bank Catholic)Canta was a career .421 hitter and boasted a .506 on-base percentage in her four varsity seasons at Red Bank Catholic High School where she won a Shore Conference title in 2010.

As a junior, Canta led the team with a .484 batting average to earn All-Shore Conference honors and helped the Caseys win their third consecutive division championship. Following her 2013 campaign, she was named Non-Public All-State and All-Monmouth County.

Kerry Cook – P – El Segundo, Calif. (Marlborough School)Cook was a four-year letterwinner at the Marlborough school where she earned conference pitcher of the year honors as a sophomore before being named Sunshine League MVP in 2012.

Cook, who was a Cum Laude Honor Society student, went on to achieve first team All-CIF Division 5 accolades as a senior. She is currently playing summer ball with the So Cal Diamonds.

Jackie Li – OF – Redwood City, Calif. (Carlmont)Li and her Carlmont High School team won a pair of PAL Championships in 2012 and 2013. As a senior, the two-time letterwinner hit .382 and helped the Lady Scots earn a trip to the Central Coast Sectional final.

An AP Scholar with Honors, Li played club softball with the San Jose Lady Sharks.

Kayla Maloney – P/OF – Windham, N.H. (Phillips Academy (Mass.))Maloney comes to Morningside Heights as a dual threat after a career that saw her set Phillips Academcy’s all-time strikeout record (425) in the circle and home run mark (17) at the dish.

A three-time conference MVP, Maloney posted a 33-4 pitching record and hit over .450 in each of her final three seasons on the varsity squad, leading Phillips to three consecutive Big East Prep School Tournament triumphs.

Alyssa Rodia – IF/OF – Stormville, N.Y. (Carmel)Rodia was a two-time All-New York State selection and earned all-league and all-section honors from 2011-13. Her Carmel High School team picked up a Section I title in 2013 to cap her five-year varsity career.

In the classroom, Rodia picked up numerous accolades, including membership into the National Honor Society, the Italian Honor Society, High Honor Roll. She also earned a Certificate of Outstanding Achievement from the New York State Senate.

Shelby Unger – 1B/OF – Yorba Linda, Calif. – (El Dorado)Unger was a softball and basketball star at El Dorado High School. On the diamond, she hit .357 in 2013, was named first team all-league and played in the Orange County Senior All-Star Game.

A scholar athlete all four years of high school, Unger’s basketball team went 26-6 and went to the California State Tournament for the first time in school history, reaching the second round.

Tonia Wu – P – Carlsbad, Calif. (San Dieguito Academy)Wu is a four-time Avocado East League first team member and was the league’s pitcher of the year in 2013. Another strong two-way player, Wu hit .475 and reached base at a .545 clip while captaining San Dieguito Academy as a senior.

Additionally, she was a National AP Scholar, president of National Honor Society and selected to the Union Tribune All-Academic Team from 2011-13.